Maybe it’s the green movement – all that energy efficient, recyclable, reusable stuff that is constantly thrown at you every day. Maybe it’s people trying to save money wherever they can in an economy that doesn’t show many signs of life. Then again, maybe it started out as artistic in nature and morphed into something more practical and utilitarian. Whatever the reason, shipping containers have become the new building/room in more ways than one.

Have I Got Plans for You!

Granted, people don’t usually have old steel shipping containers left lying around in their backyard but they are certainly attainable. Some people have chosen to bury these shipping containers as an emergency shelter should the unthinkable happen. It’s going to take a lot of work and a lot of money but it can be done (and not just with that garden shovel and a few decorative bricks). Fortunately, there are instructional videos online that pretty much detail the building of one of these emergency shelters from the digging of the hole all the way to the covering up of the entire site.

Don’t Need a House? How about a Room?

On a smaller scale, some people have added these shipping containers onto their existing homes as a game room, a bar/lounge, an extra bedroom for the kids, or strictly for storage rather than a damp basement. They have also been set up in backyards as gardening sheds, garages, and laid at least partially in ground as a wine cellar. Anything you need a building for you can probably consider using an old shipping container for instead. With the right electricians, plumbers and carpenters, the inside can be made to look like it’s got all the comforts of a real home.

Which in more and more cases, it actually is. In fact, temporary retail shops have been set up in these modified containers as well as entire households.